10 Days From Today…

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.

Sadly Mary is struggling with health issues. To see the latest about her situation, click here

To view past blogs, scroll to the bottom of this page and use the menu.

I’m currently in my 24th year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click here

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The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails Turtle Beach RV Resort in Manteca, California. I’m scheduled to depart here October 7th.

 

 

 

In the past few months I’ve indicated my 50+ year RVing life is changing. In my humble opinion, just like the world and the United States in general, not for the good.

 

 

 

5 days ago, I published my last blog posting on this topic. In case you missed it, here’s the link…

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/15-days-from-today/

 

 

I’ve also indicated that on October 14th, I’m scheduled to arrive at a mystery location. A place my motorhome has never been to before. In addition, many other surprising changes await me there!

 

I’ve been having some fun offering clues about my mystery destination. My location here in Manteca, California has me a mere 505 miles distant, waiting out hopefully lower temperatures.  🙂

 

 

So far the clues have revealed about this mysterious destination…

• It gets really hot there in the summertime.
• It’s in California
• It’s a place of beautiful sunrises
• It’s an oasis… an island in the desert…

 

Here’s today’s really big clue… It’s within the boundaries of Riverside County…

 

 

 

In the meantime here is another photo of a recent sunrise sent to me by a friend…

 

 

 

 

 

 

More clues and other changes coming soon!  🙂

 

 

Now… to a totally different topic…

 

TODAY IS MARY’S 79TH BIRTHDAY!

If you are a regular follower of this blog, you know that I met Mary in 2008 and that she traveled with me part-time for six years… kind of two months on and two months off scenario. We shared many delightful experiences together. Out of the 5,602 postings on this blog site, Mary has published 1,800 of them.

You will also know just last week I finished up a nice four day visit with her at her home in Murphys, California. You will also know that about eight months ago, she was diagnosed with, and since that time has been battling colon cancer.

I’m most pleased to tell you that I found Mary looking surprisingly well. Other than being a little thinner than when we traveled together, to look at her you would never know she is dealing with cancer. She is still quite a sparkling and resilient personality, calling herself a tough old bird! Those of you who have met her will remember her well. She’s definitely a character and not easily forgotten.

Looks aside, battling cancer is mentally fatiguing, but she told me that she’s still hoping to “get a few more years out of this life”.

She may get mad at me for doing this, but I’m going to give you an email address, just in case you might want wish her well. You can send your message to mgmatzek@sbcglobal.net

Here’s a couple of photos…

Her 75th Birthday…

 

 

The latest photo I have of her…

 

HAPPY 79TH BIRTHDAY, MARY! Keep on carrying on, one day at a time, like we all must do!

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

 

Forecast for today is sunny and 78 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 700 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://get.google.com/albumarchive/110455945462646142273?source=pwa

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2019

I Begin My Fourth Quarter-Century…

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 4,500+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.

I’m currently in my 21st year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click Here

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The motorhome is parked at Thousand Trails Palm Springs RV Resort in Palm Desert, California. I’m scheduled to depart here December 21st.

 

 

Today is my 76th birthday. I thought it would be fun looking at how I’ve changed through the years…

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

As a new-born…

 

 

 

 

Age 1…

 

 

 

 

Age 10…

 

 

 

 

Age 20…

 

 

 

 

Age 30…

 

 

 

 

Couldn’t find an age 40 photo. I must have dropped out during that time of life…

 

 

 

 

 

Age 50…

 

 

 

 

Age 60…

 

 

 

 

Ago 70…

 

 

 

 

Mary took this photo of me about two weeks ago…almost 76…

 

 

 

What a difference 75 years makes! Thankfully I’m a very happy and healthy guy as I step into my 76th year.

 

Being an ex-engineer, I just cannot help myself… 27,760 days!

 

I guess now, I’m officially a genuine old man.  🙂

 

 

I Hope You Enjoyed The Photos.

Yesterday was a sunny and 74 degrees.  Forecast for today is sunny and 73 degrees.

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 700 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://get.google.com/albumarchive/110455945462646142273?source=pwa

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2016

BIRTHDAY 89-A LIFE WELL LIVED.

I met Paul Moeller when he came to my writer’s workshop in 1979. I talked him into taking one of my daughter’s baby cats home. Then later, in 1980, I joined his classes in video taping. He was determined to get public access programing into Calaveras County. He was so dedicated and so hardworking, you couldn’t say “no” to Paul. He’s had some tough years, with two broken femurs, strokes and other injuries. Here he is with his caretaker, Pam. He seems to be kind of wondering why everyone is making such a fuss over his birthday.

After his wife died, Marilyn Pyle has taken care of his bookkeeping and his mail and most of the things Martha took care of. Indispensable to him and he feels bereft when she is missing. She quickly organized his birthday party. Just some balloons, friends and cheesecake.

Paul certainly has aging issues; he speaks very slowly but he said of his good friend and neighbor, Bill with his wife Linda, “If you want trouble, you call Bill. Then you get more trouble.”  It tickled me he could make a joke.

Paul is like family and Marilyn’s husband Vern, and his son, Mitch came by. They do the heavy hauling, moving furniture, dump runs-you name it, they show up.

Marilyn thought it would be nice to take a group picture, which includes Karen Phillips, his long time driver after his first accident, and on the right Audry, Marilyn’s mother. I’m in the middle.

Then about that time, Sue showed up. But, we took a lot of pictures anyway.

Karen has a lot of memories of Paul and faithfully visits him every week.

Marilyn decided to put a candle on his favorite cake. Cheesecake at his request.

After we sang Happy Birthday…

He blew out the candle and we spent an hour or more just visiting. He has difficulty hearing on the phone. He rarely has his hearing aids in. But he had calls from friends and relatives in Germany. He has good days and bad days and this one was a good day. He could remember stories and bring up names from the past.

He asked me to take a picture of him with all of his cards. Many of them have cats on them. He lost his cat recently and a stray was hanging around Bill and Linda’s house. They suggested he feed the cat. It is feral and now hangs around Paul’s big sliding glass window. And though he can’t pet it, he enjoys seeing the cat come and eat. He named her/him Roosevelt or Rosie. “I go both ways,” he joshed.

I worked on 85 shows with Paul, as his anchor. It amazed me how he could remember names of past friends while I struggled. Paul is a legend in our county. The Board of Supervisor’s named the studio after him as an honor. And his legacy of over 4,000 productions is an everlasting part of our county’s history. A productive, generous life, well lived.

 

ERIC JAILLET’S 16th BIRTHDAY

When a girl turns sixteen, it is a “sweet sixteen” party. What do you call a boy as he turns 16? It is a milestone to turn 16. For one, you can get a job, you can drive and in a way, it is a crossover to manhood. So, maybe goodbye childhood. But, there is no handy moniker for the event. Parents, Jim and Wendy organized a barbecue. His girlfriend, Stephanie (seated left) made him his own personal bowl of home-made macaroni and cheese. Neat!

It was a nice relaxing afternoon to enjoy the kids, our last time together and some welcome beautiful weather.

Eric talked his mother and youngest sister, Jaime into a tag football game. Eric explains the rules to them.

Wendy throws to Jaime. Jim got in the game to hike the ball and mark the down lines.

Eric and Stephanie huddle and strategize. It is Wendy and Jaime against Eric and Stephanie.

I don’t know who won because everyone was having fun and laughing a lot and it really didn’t matter.

Then it was time for cake and ice cream. The cake was decorated by sister Jocelyn.

It was a happy day for a young man with amazing potential to become a pro ball player, which is his dream.  And, a beautiful day to enjoy a family gathering full of food, fun and laughter. Ciao!

We leave Ivoryton this a.m. and head North West.

Heron lake State Park, New Mexico – Day 42

The motorhome is still parked at Heron Lake State Park about 20 miles south of Chama, New Mexico while I am recovering from my May 27th accident.

More good news regarding my recovery. Yesterday, for the second day in a row, I managed to go without my elastic chest bandage for six hours. I continue taking Ibuprofen, icing my ribcage area 2-3 times a day. The doctors told me to expect 6-12 weeks for recovery. The accident occurred nine weeks and two days ago. Can you tell I’m ready for the recovery to be finished and be back on the road again?

A few days ago my friend Randy Vining arrived with a mini-caravan of four RV’s. Because one of the rigs is a 40 footer, they parked at a campground about three miles from mine. At 7:00 PM last evening, I went over to participate in a birthday celebration for Randy. In addition to his travel companions, we were joined by three volunteer staff people from the state park. Randy is a philosopher, poet and gadabout.

Here are some photos that I took…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Their camping area…

I’ve known Randy since 1997. All the others there have known him less than a year. In addition I’m the only that has been to his hometown, a small hamlet named Sonheimer in very northeast Louisiana…

Laurie, a talented musician and songwriter gave us a mini-concert…

Randy said we all had to tell when we met him for the first time…

Laurie wrote a song specifically for Randy’s birthday. Here Randy holds the lyrics for her as she sings…

Randy wouldn’t tell us his age, but we’re guessing he’s at least 21…

The celebration included cake and ice cream and one large candle…

Here Randy shows a gift of a crystal from his friend Ginger…

Being an ex-Baptist Minister, Randy has an effervescent personality and he’s usually at the center of things. It takes little coaxing to get him to stand and an enthusiastically present one of his poems…

It was an enjoyable two-hour gathering on a delightful summer evening.

Meeting and enjoying new people along the road of life is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

if you have not checked out my new Ramblin’ Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2012
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

NEIGHBORS LIKE MINE

From Mary’s desk:

My neighborhood has the best people. A friend from Sonora once plaintively told me, “I want to live in YOUR neighborhood.” Another long time friend sold his lovely house within walking distance of the school where he taught and moved to another “friendlier” neighborhood. The quality of the neighbors can make the difference.

Ron Hayes is one of those kind of guys who will lend a hand whenever asked. I’ve asked him to drill holes in the bottoms of pots, clean my chimney and grade my driveway. He always offers help when he sees me struggle with anything.  One time I asked him to accompany me when I showed a rental quite late at night to a strange guy and I was feeling unsure about this guy. He never hesitates to say yes. He’s a champ in my book. I offered to marry him, but, he reminded me he is already married.

Jan and Karen, are always there for me. Karen literally covers my place, my mail, my yard, my cat, when I’m on the road. I couldn’t do it without her. Plus she is a good cook and is forever fixing me dinner when I’m rushed or offering to do errands for me when I’m busy.
Jan is an artist and neighborhood icon. She knows everyone, visits everyone, fields her grand kids through their problems and runs a book club, drum circle and other volunteer endeavors. We call her the “Heart of Gold.”  Her hobby is panning for gold. She’ll do anything within her power for you.

Suzy Hayes is the same way. Generous, helpful. We discovered Suzy had recently celebrated her 60th birthday so we put candles on the cake and thanked our lucky stars for our entertainment. Suzy is 3/4 ers comedienne. She and Ron kept us in stitches all evening. If laughter is healing, we are all healed.

Yes, neighbors really can make a difference in the quality of your life and I thank them.